


A batch of brownies

by Kasan_Soulblade



Series: Of Shattered Glass/These Warped Perspectives [6]
Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Brownies, F/M, Noishe is a thief, Spoilers, Yuan's insufferable, but if he could have a few and milk, family schenanigans, frozen milk, the baking of brownies, with an umbrella
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1305385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasan_Soulblade/pseuds/Kasan_Soulblade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A "What Came After: Crimson Arch" piece. AKA a part of the "Double Edged Sword" story that wouldn't fit in the original fanfic. Thus it exists alone but is related.</p><p>Brownies, and crumbs, such small things surly broke the icy perfection of Derris Kharlan.  And even if it hadn't it shattered the facades centuries strong.</p><p>Where Yuan is a troll, Kratos is protective, Noishe a thief, and Anna bakes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A batch of brownies

A Batch of Brownies

 

 

Kratos stood, arms crossed, watching her cook. It was not so strange a thing, they both enjoyed cooking, but it was her choice of meal that was making him leery. He'd never seen a substance this brown before, well he _had_ seen a substance that color but it was grossly improper to speak of it and compare it to food. So for self-preservations sake he kept his piece. In one pan was a brown liquid gel hybrid that had chunks of black floating in it, in the other was a glossy brown substance that smelled so very strange. He sniffed, and then glared at the strange "food" as if it was an enemy.

"This is going to taste good?" Kratos asked, then forgetting his resolve under candor’s drive he carried on. "Anna it looks like…" he mentally kicked himself for almost saying that and was left having to temporize, "mud."

"Don't be such an old man, I love this and if you don't want it I'll happily eat it all myself."

He stared at the full pan and the slightly smaller bowl and snorted.

"There's a lot here, I doubt you could…" He blinked as Anna thrust a small spoon dripping glossy black. He stared at her, at the spoon, and wondered what needed stirring. Anna laughed at his expression and gave him instructions. His expression must have been even funnier after he received her instructions, because she laughed even more.

"Yes, you heard me, lick the spoon. It's custom."

Kratos wondered if the tail end of his wife's pregnancy had unhinged her wits a little. He'd heard of it happening before. Woman got strange a few weeks before the child was to be born. Well he'd humor her; he nibbled on the tip of the spoon. The strange food was sweet, very sweet, and was… surprisingly pleasant. Warmth spread through him, this… whatever it was was a sweet velvet on the tongue. While he had no nostalgic ties –being the son of a poor fisherwoman and soldier he had lived off of fish for the bulk of his childhood- to this strangest of foods he could certainly develop a few! He finished off the spoon in good time; his normally subdued appetite and sense of taste were quite gleefully informing him that today he was going to be more human than angel. He eyed the smaller bowl with a greater appreciation; certainly whatever the "brownie" food was didn't need all of that…

"What is this?" He waved the now completely cleaned off spoon.

"Fudge frosting." Anna smirked. "Keep away, I know that look and you won't be getting into it on my watch." Anna bent, slid the brown batter into the small oven he'd brought down in the tunnels weeks ago. When she stood she knew her husband had slipped past her to try to attack the bowl. She closed the oven and glared daggers at him. Maybe mother was right about one thing, men turned into little boys the second they were exposed to chocolate. Well she had a weapon for that!

She picked up the mixing spoon and firmly smacked him between the eyes, right on the bridge of his nose, like she would have Noishe for chewing the furniture.

"No!" She snapped, ignoring how cute he looked when favoring her with that helpless pained expression that wasn't –quite- a pout.

"Just a nibble, please?"

"No!" She lifted the spoon and he stepped back. "You need to save up your appetite for the brownies. For all I know if you eat a spoonful of frosting you won't have any hunger in you when they’re done. I've spent a good two hours on these so I'll have none of that! Now scoot, out of the room, play with Noishe or something!"

He sputtered, insulted at being ordered to go play no doubt.

She decided not to tell him how cute he was when flustered, he'd probably curl up and die if he knew that she went out of her way to do so because he looked so cute when he went red and sputtered.

"Oh fine… Go read a book, but it's just another type of playing if you really consider it."

"It... is not!" He growled, crossing his arms in front of him and glaring daggers at her. "If the process of gathering more knowledge and striving for intellectual enlightenment is mere play then I'm… a demon of Niblehiem in disguise as an angel of Cruxis!"

Anna smiled, he got so wordy when put on the defensive. So she countered him in ways he couldn’t wiggle out of. A quick peck on the cheek and he was undone.

"Well you had me fooled your demon-i-ness, where do you keep the horns and tail?"

He stormed off muttering to himself, waving his arms as he walked. Poor man, he didn’t know just how overmatched he was. He might _think_ himself the mightiest of warriors but he had wedded his better when it came to verbal war.

She looked at the closed door, there was a bark and the noises she could atch beyond it told her that Kratos _was_ playing with Noishe. Good for him. Better for her. Since he was distracted, it seemed safe enough. Anna dipped a small spoon she kept hidden in her apron into the creamy frosting and helped herself to a spoonful. It tasted so good she decided that another one was in order.

Xxx xxx

Kratos all but purred when he finished off his fudge covered brownie, Noishe licked his large jaws and looked pleadingly at the Seraph. In response to the dredded puppy eyes the white clad Seraph put a hand protectively over the second brownie. He'd never have expected the snacks to disappear so fast, a whole pan full should have lasted a few days at least. It had lasted one meal, a large meal, Kratos was going to be having as many as his poor shriveled stomach could hold. Anna had split the pan between them fifty-fifty, though looking at her pile he was certain that her share was a little larger. He watched in amusement as she dipped a broken off piece of the food into a large cup of milk. He did not follow that custom finding it too messy, but the milk was a very good compliment to the chocolaty sweetness that was slowly filling his stomach. She could be as messy as she liked he on the other hand would be scrubbing away the few traces of indulgence off of his uniform before going back to report to Yggdrasil.

"You've eaten a lot today; I guess you're really hungry huh?"

Kratos considered what she had asked as he chewed on his second slice of brownie. He absently smacked the protozoan on the snout when the dog shaped being tried to lick the plate in Kratos' lap.

"It's never really about hunger, more of a tolerance." Kratos took a sip of milk. "I can only eat so much, half a meal at best."

"Well you normally don't eat that much… it's not my cooking is it?" Anna looked at him with a kind of pathetic sadness that made his gut clench.

"Of course not, well unless there are…" He not-so-mock shuddered. "Tomatoes; spaghetti in particular is my bane." Kratos set the half eaten sweet aside, not seeing how Noishe descended and wolfed it down in two bites. "It is the limitation dictated by the A-" her eyes were glazing, and he mentally sighed. "Because of what happened to me, because I was the first and the process wasn't perfected, there are many differences between me and the other Seraphim. I exist as a Seraphim, as a human, simultaneously, and some days the human side is stronger then the angelic. When I have more of an appetite that normally means that the human side has won out, and I can eat.” Then to deflect the sympathy he saw welling in her eyes he grinned. “At least I can have this much. Yuan and Yggdrasil aren’t as lucky. Perhaps that’s what makes me so different with… everything.”

"That was rather confusing…" Anna smiled as if she were struck by some though or amusing sight, "How about another brownie?"

"I have one right here…" He gestured to the now clean plate never seeing, even as he set the other hand to close around the base of his cup. He wondered why Anna giggled, shrugged it off… Strange how the cup wasn't that heavy last time he lifted it... He reached for the brownie, gripped nothing, and then suspicion realized turned a murderous glare at his cup. Culpret caught, brown snouted no less, the protozoan had all but stuffed his face into the cup. A soft splash as a pink tongue lapped milk told the rest of the tale.

Noishe looked up at him, faux repentance and puppy eyes in full attendance. The pink tongue stroked the inside of the glass under his gaze and those wide eyes begged up at him as if to say. _I'm not doing it! My tongue has a mind of its own!_

"Noishe!" Kratos snarled, eyes burning. "That's my food!"

The tongue dipped into the milk one last time before a gust of wind mana threw the dog back. Snarling a few profanities, he was now covered in milk; the seraph stood and tried to wipe it off. No such luck. He sighed, looked at the time piece strapped to his arm and realized it was time to head back to Derris Kharlan. Seeing the look Anna set her food aside and stood.

"Have a good day dear." She enfolded him in a hug and he smiled, his anger forgotten for the moment.

"You do know I am going to be Yggdrasil's lap do- I mean second in command the second I return don't you?"

"Of course… Hmm how about don't let the shrimp tick you off?"

"Thinking about him does that."

The Seraph stroked his wife's belly, from the amount of movement and accelerated second heartbeat Kratos had a good idea that the little one yet to be born was going through his first fit of sugar rush. Anna of course was somewhat aware of the movement, but strange as it was his heightened senses were so keen they surpassed hers when checking on the welfare and activity of their child. Strange, as she was the one who was baring the baby. That would change as soon as their child –Kratos still was thinking they were going to be having a girl Anna was adamant it was a boy it was an argument they dusted off when they could find nothing else to discuss- was born.

"How about… Try not to let the brat's insanity rub off?"

"Keep sane?" Kratos smiled, kissed her on the lips. "I'll accept that blessing as it fully fits the situation."

Anna sighed, leaned against him and the seraph fondly stroked his hair. They needed no other words, she knew he would come when he could; he knew she would wait for him and stay safe. Cracking an eye open Kratos glared at the protozoan, it was enough, Noishe slinked away from Anna's brownie stash and lay down eyeing it in longing.

"Here!" She offered him a brownie as he went out the door. He smiled, nibbled on it while he walked back through the steel sheathed halls, picked his path to the city of angels. It would probably bug the Hell out of Yggdasil if he imagined something as mortal as crumbs existing in his oh-so-perfect world.

So, just to spite him, Kratos brushed his hands off in the center of a hall. He had lingered far too long with Anna, had all of a quarter hour to fly back to his home, change clothes –no time to scrub out the chocolate so he'd just take a shower and toss one of his mercenary uniforms- then fly to Mithos' castle. He managed to do so by pulling a few aerial stunts such as diving between two conversing angels, kicking off of a building to sharply change direction, and pulling the all time stupid trick of activating the teleport pad from a distance and timing his dive so that he went through with all the motion behind him so that he could flap through the massive halls of the castle at full speed.

If they had been more.. mortal… the angels he passed in his frenzied motions to not be late might have been offended. As it was they simply carried on, the few he nearly flew into only vaguely recalling to look up at him and frown for a moment before forgetting why they were doing so.

Still he was on time, a mite early, and landed heavily in the hall right outside the door. Using a polished shield as a mirror he smoothed his hair and feathers with chilled hands. The task took all of a moment. He only looked up from his work –centering his cloak, setting the straps just so- when a blast of wind and feathers smashed into the floor besides him.

The pink illumination of the fallen angel’s drawn wings stained his mirror with a blush, a curious effect considering his pallor.

"You shouldn't of flown Yuan, you're so bad at it it's a wonder you haven't killed yourself yet."

"Shut up!" The half elf picked himself up after tripping on a non-existent rug post landing. Kratos rolled his eyes and went back to the mirror then as an afterthought slipped the flaps of his mercenary cape over his primary wings. Yuan took over the second Kratos stepped back, slicked down his aqua hued hair and sniffed at first to express his annoyance at the human for taking so long, then carried on with a curious frown touching his face.

"Kratos… do you smell cookies?"

"No." Kratos felt blood rushing to his face. "I don't smell a thing."

"Hmm it's not cookies… brownies that's it! I swear I _am_ smelling brownies!" Yuan sniffed, following his nose for a little. It wasn’t much of a trip and he stared at Kratos in shock. "You smell like brownies! Yggdrasil will kill you for cooking! He hates it when we act mortal… and why the hell didn't you bring me any! I haven't had a sweet in five decades!"

"Ahh…" Kratos stared at Yuan in shock, he wasn't aware the half elf still snacked from time to time. "Noishe ate them; I only had two for myself before he ate the whole pan."

"Damn lucky dog…" Yuan muttered. "Never thought I'd say that and mean it so literal. So you do have good tastes in food after all? And here I thought all you ate was meat, potatoes, and ran screaming when anyone waved a tomato at you."

Kratos flapped his wings and decided enough was enough. There was a door a mere ten paces away and a meeting beyond it that he wanted done.

Yuan however, wasn’t, done with him or done talking.

"Next meeting sneak me some or something. I don't have time to make any of my own."

Kratos stopped to better stare at Yuan. He wondered, idly if the transformation made him here nonsense from time to time and if this was one of those times.

"What, have I grown horns?” Yuan’s laugh, like Yggdrasils, like most of his own, was forced and brittle. Still the hunger, the want and might have beens flashed across his eyes, adding a bit of color to the blue, a bit of living vibrancy. Getting into the spirit of living the half elf lingered, and caused Kratos to do so by default. They were in this together after all.

“I get busy in Tethe'alla,” came the response to Kratos’ stare, a near whine really, “and I don't have time to cook. Just remember to bring me a few next time? Alright?"

"Fine…" Kratos stared at the half elf, wondering who this man was and what he had done to the real Yuan.

Still gripped by the sprit of mischief, one that surly hadn’t visited him in a millennia, Yuan carried on. "With fudge frosting on top, you do know how to make that don't you?"

"I know." Kratos felt like his eyebrows were going to fly off of his head if he received one more surprise.

"I wonder… Martel used to grind those wonderful large pale seeds of that plant. Pelican, policon, pencan? No, that's not right. I think she might have called them pecans… yes that's what they were called! Do you have any of those?"

"I could look."

Yuan smiled his eyes were looking at distant times. "She used to cook those for me when we were children." Those sapphire eyes glittered. "You best linger by a window Brother of mine, the second Yggdrasil gets one whiff of you he's going to skin you alive."

Kratos shrugged, Yggdrasil was always looking for a reason to skin them alive, it was one of his pastimes.

"Was it worth it?"

Kratos looked up at Yuan in worry, if the half elf had even a hinting of Anna there would only be one Seraph making it to that meeting.

"Making the brownies…" Yuan chuckled albeit nervously at the intensity of Kratos' stare. "He's going to kill you for that you know so before I have to sweep up your ashes I was just curious..."

Thinking of Anna, her pleasure, and the time spent in her company, Kratos smiled and nodded.

"Brownies always are worth it in my opinion." Yuan chuckled. "But only if they have pecans, they lose so much without…"

"I get the hint." Kratos mock growled.

"What hint?" Yuan's eyes were wide in false innocence. "I wasn't making a hint about anything. But if a pan of brownies were to _materialize_ on my doorstep sometimes tomorrow I might even extend that little rental you have on my rheiard."

"Rental!" Kratos snarled. "It's my damn rheiard, you hated the red one anyways!"

"Or I could take it back early…" Yuan smirked.

Growling Kratos stormed down the hall.

"Pecan's Kratos, right in the center of each slice," Yuan whispered as they neared the door. "I like vanilla frosting pooled in the center of each nut, and I really like a lot of chocolate chips put in the batter before and after cooking."

"If you ask one more damned thing they'll materialize right over your pointy eared head you manipulative…."

"And frozen milk, with an umbrella straw like they give out in Alt…"

That was _it_. Kratos slowed down, let Yuan catch up and then firmly grabbed the half elf by the front of his tunic. He absently twisted the cloth; though it would do nothing to choke the seraph, for like him Yuan had no need to breath.

"You'll like what I give you and you'll take what I give you as payment and that will be the end of it!"

"No umbrella?" Yuan croaked a smirk curled his thin lips.

"Unless it's me ramming one up your…"

"Er hurm…" Yggdrasil in his child form was standing outside the meeting room door tapping his foot. "What are you trying to kill each other for now, do I need muzzles?"

"No Lord." Yuan coughed. "Nothing needed, we were…"

"We were having a political discussion about the newest law in Mal-tokio concerning the execution," Kratos tightened his grip and Yuan got the hint, "policy on half elves who annoy human nobles."

"I guess some people who are very annoying could deserve death." Yuan whispered and Kratos relaxed his grip.

"Hmm…" Yggdrasil frowned, sniffed the air, but went back into the room with no farther comment.

"Kratos… I'm going to run out of air to talk with…" The blue haired seraphim smiled, since their change their normal rough and tumble relationship had become even rougher since it was near impossible to kill each other. But there were still things that were inexcusable, and Kratos knew he was close to crossing that line.

"Really Yuan, an umbrella bendy straw?"

It was as close to an apology as Yuan would ever get.

"A man can dream, can't he?"

"Iced milk?"

"It sounded good."

"I'll give you all of those things on one condition. You change your name to Yuna."

Kratos ducked the answering lighting orb that smashed into the wall behind him and ignited a tapestry. Mithos in adult form poked his head out, and his expression was dangerously cold. Images of leashes and muzzles were dancing in Yggdrasil's head if Kratos was any judge of reading those dark storm grey eyes.

"We are going to have this meeting sometime this millennium aren't we gentlemen?"

"Coming, my lord," Yuan bowed, and the second Yggdrasil turned made a face. Kratos cracked a smile.

All this from a batch of brownies… what was the world coming to?

Yuan met his eyes and mouthed the answer to that.

A reminder for him no doubt, but how very fitting for his thoughts.

Yes, you could say the whole world was going a little nuts. Kratos flashed his teeth in a genuine grin then banished the gesture with a thought. He was going to have to fight to keep his icy façade today as Yuan would be sitting across from him mouthing about pecans the whole meeting. With luck Yggdrasil would not catch the game between the two Seraphim, if not, well it had been worth it.


End file.
